Around 350 years ago, the famous diarist, MP and English naval adminstrator, Samuel Pepys, wrote in his diary that a man had come to his door with an envelope

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, Oct 16, 2012

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Around 350 years ago, the famous diarist, MP and English naval
adminstrator, Samuel Pepys, wrote in his diary that a man had come to
his door with an envelope containing several gold coins from a potential
contractor. Pepys had asked his servant if the contractor was a
reliable one. The servant had assured him that he was, so the gift was
accepted.

I was reminded of Pepys's principle that he only received payments from reliable contractors by the explanations of Admiral Trevor Soar, Lieutenant General Richard Applegate, a former head of army procurement,
and Lord Stirrup, a former chief of the defence staff, that in effect
they lobbied only if they were satisfied that the equipment was of
suitable quality.